Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling. They were noted for their distinctive all-black "street look", which, while very commonplace among today's wrestlers, was vastly different from the colorful attire of their wrestling peers of the late 1980s-early 1990s. This included graffiti-sprayed T-shirts, chain-adorned leather trenchoats, and their distinctive mullet-hawk haircuts. Career Unlike most professional wrestling tag teams, Jerry "Biff" Sags and Brian "Buff" Knobbs were childhood friends (both hailing from Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania) who put themselves together (whereas most tag teams were and still are matched together by bookers). They began their careers in the American Wrestling Association in 1985 and began teaming together as The Nasty Boyz in 1986. They first started moving up the cards while in Memphis, as a heel team against the face team of the Midnight Rockers. In 1988, they moved to Florida Championship Wrestling, where they won five Tag Team Championship between 1989 and 1990. While they were in Memphis, Jerry Lawler gave them the idea to change their look (spandex gold tights and long boots), so Sags and Knobbs decided to cover their bodies. They also painted their faces, but they dropped the face paint when wrestling outside of Memphis. World Championship Wrestling: First Run (1990) In 1990, the Nasty Boys joined the World Championship Wrestling. They initially feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner but were unable to defeat the Steiner Brothers for the United States Tag Team Championships. World Wrestling Federation (1990–1993) The Nasty Boys left WCW in December 1990 and joined the World Wrestling Federation. Along with their manager Jimmy Hart, they announced their intention to "Nastisize the WWF". After becoming the number one contenders by winning a seven team battle royal on the February 16, 1991 airing of Superstars of Wrestling (last eliminating the Legion of Doom, thanks to interference from Power and Glory), they defeated The Hart Foundation for the WWF World Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania VII, and held the titles until SummerSlam 1991, when they were defeated by the Legion of Doom in a no disqualification, no countout match. They turned face in the fall of 1992 to feud with Jimmy Hart's Money Incorporated over the tag team titles, but were unable to recapture the gold. World Championship Wrestling: Second Run (1993–1997) The Nasty Boys returned to WCW in 1993 as heels and, managed by Missy Hyatt, became WCW World Tag Team Champions. In 1994, they fought Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne in a series of wild brawls, which Payne later described as "not far away from gladiator days". They were supposed to engage in a feud with the Evad and Kevin Sullivan, a pair of (kayfabe) brothers, but Evad injured his knee, and Sullivan convinced Cactus Jack to team with him. The Nasties lost the titles to the thrown-together team of Jack and Sullivan in a wild Philly Street Fight at Slamboree. As a result of the intense brawls, the Nasty Boys soon turned face. Knobs and Sags went on to feud with tag teams such as Harlem Heat and The Blue Bloods. In 1996, the New World Order offered them membership in the nWo, but attacked them as soon as they received their nWo T-shirts. In the subsequent match against Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, Sags became enraged during the match after Hall injured his neck with a chair. After the match, Sags filed a lawsuit. He was released from his contract, and retired later that year. Knobbs began pursuing the WCW Hardcore Championship. Independent Circuit The Nasty Boys were briefly reunited in the short-lived XWF and the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. Since retirement the boys have both appeared on Hogan Knows Best and the WWE Magazine's "Where are they now?" section. On November 20, 2007, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags reformed at the WWE SmackDown tapings from Tampa, Florida to wrestle their first WWE match in 14 years. On November 21, 2009, They were involved with the Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin Australian Tour event in Melbourne, Australia and wrestled and defeated Reno Anoa'i and Vampire Warrior in an Australian Street Fight. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010) On January 4, 2010, The Nasty Boys made their debut appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's television show, TNA Impact!, where they trashed Team 3D's locker room during their absence from the show while in Japan. This initiated a feud, with both teams exchanging physical onslaughts with one another. On the January 21 edition of Impact! the Nasty Boys competed in their first match for TNA, defeating the team of Eric Young and Kevin Nash. At Against All Odds The Nasty Boys defeated Team 3D in a tag team match, when Jimmy Hart made his return to the company and interfered in the match on the Nasty Boys' behalf. On the February 25 edition of Impact! Team 3D defeated the Nasty Boys in a tables match, when Jesse Neal interfered on Team 3D's behalf. The Nasty Boys and Hart continued their feud with Team 3D by defeating them and the returning Brother Runt, a replacement for Jesse Neal, whom the Nastys attacked prior to the match, in a six-man tag team match. After the match Neal attacked the Nastys and helped Team 3D put Sags through a table. On March 29, 2010, news broke that the Nasty Boys had been released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function with Spike executives present. Reputation The Nasty Boys have a reputation of being very stiff with their opponents. They have also been involved in several legitimate fights with other wrestlers also ribbing (pranking backstage) them: *Ken Shamrock had an argument with Knobbs after he had harassed his friend and his friend's fiancée in a nightclub. Later that night, Shamrock went to The Nasty Boys' hotel room to continue the argument. After banging on the door several times, Sags went to answer only to be knocked backwards as Shamrock forced his way into the room and began attacking Knobbs, who was unconscious due to being intoxicated. Shamrock was then attacked from behind by Sags with a rotary dial telephone, knocking him unconscious. Both Knobbs who had woken up and Sags continued the attack, which left Shamrock hospitalised. *The Nasty Boys fought with Ric Flair in a Manhattan nightclub, with Flair being thrown out of the club as a result. *In 1997, a match between The Nasty Boys and The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) degenerated into a shoot. *On November 20, 2007, on their return match to Smackdown, they worked stiff with Dave Taylor and Drew McIntyre. *Professional wrestler Mick Foley described the Nasty Boys in his autobiography as "sloppy as hell, and more than a little dangerous, but they knew how to brawl." Personal life Brian Knobbs and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine's wives are siblings. Jerry Sags is the uncle of Cody Rhodes. They're both fans of the New York Yankees In wrestling *'Double-team finishing moves' **Double DDT **''Trip to Nastyville'' (Running powerslam by Knobbs followed by a diving elbow drop by Sags) *'Double-team signature moves' **Aided powerbomb **''Clubberin’'' (The Nasty Boys would simultaneously repeatedly punch their opponents) – named by Dusty Rhodes who, while commentating, would announce to his partner Tony Schiavone: "They be clubberin', Tony!" **Irish whip-assisted corner splash **''Pit Stop'' / Pity City (One of the Nasty Boys would raise their arm, exposing their armpit while the other Nasty Boy would seize a victim by the back of the neck and rub his face into the other Nasty Boy's armpit) *'Managers' **'Jimmy Hart' **Missy Hyatt Championships and accomplishments *'American Wrestling Association' :*AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) *'National Wrestling Alliance' :*NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (10 times) *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' :*PWI Tag Team of the Year award in 1994 :*PWI ranked them # 53 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" in 2003. *'World Championship Wrestling' :*WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) *'World Wrestling Federation' :*WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) *'X Wrestling Federation' :*XWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) *'Other Titles' :*NAWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) :*PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) :*SAPC Tag Team Championship (1 time) External links * Profile Category:World Wrestling Entertainment teams and stables Category:All American Wrestling teams and stables Category:World Championship Wrestling teams and stables Category:American Wrestling Association teams and stables Category:2010 disbandments Category:1986 debuts Category:WWE World Tag Team Champions Category:WCW World Tag Team Champions Category:Total Nonstop Action Wrestling teams and stables